LED lighting?

[BirdOfPray]

I was browsing around today and ran across this at Drs. Foster & Smith: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

That got me curious, but a little Googling on my own hasn't really given me a better picture of how well LEDs work for aquarium lighting; particularly if plants are involved. Y'all around here are way smarter than I am when it comes to understanding this lighting stuff (I should have failed physics in high school...) so I thought I'd ask if anyone know what the deal is. I'm just wondering whether LED lighting works nicely for plants, and if so, how can you tell how much you need. This one did seem to say anything about how it would compare to a more standard light fixture.

Just doing some thinking about my 5-gallon, since the built-in lighting doesn't seem to be doing a lot of good. I've got a few plants going in there but nothing really thriving. I don't know if it's a lighting issue or something else, but was curious as to what my lighting options might be and thus the browsing. Don't worry, I'm not buying anything yet -- just thinking. The main thing that got e curious here was the fact that it clips onto the side, since the 5-gallon is a hex.

[smaug]

I have no experience with led lights.I can offer this info.Your plants need 2 things from the light,k rating -5500-10000k is the range with 6500k being best.Lumens/brightness,this can not just be measured by the wattage.t5 lighting has more lumen then a t8 of the same wattage,cfl has more then t8 but not as much as t-5.If you can find out what k rating and lumen output the led lights have then you can make an educated choice if they will work for plants.Clear as mud?

[MCHRKiller]

LED lighting is a very efficient form of lighting, but there are serious drawbacks to it....which is first off the number of LED bulbs you would need to effectively light an aquarium....and then there is cost. Most LED bulbs themselves are between 3/4-1watt each. Small tanks like your 5G will need atleast 20-30 watts of LED lighting spread out over the entire top of the tank to effectively light it for plant growth. Which isnt that bad but in pre-built fixtures thats going to equal about 120bucks for a 5Gs lighting...compared to the $30 youd spend on a PC fixture of the same wattage. LEDs main feature is after the start up cost you wont need to be replacing them for atleast 2 years of use. Compare that to a PC bulb which optimally needs replaced every 6months. But in the end the PC will be cheaper just due to costs of the LEDs. I can definatly see that LED lighting is the future of aquarium lighting but right now its cost for most people just doesnt make it worthwhile. Thus most of us just use a couple of blue LEDs on our tanks at night as moonlights.

For your 5G(5G hex with the filter built into the top?) If so the best option is going to be to simply upgrade your bulb and improve your reflector. This bulb is an excellent replacement to screw incandescent, [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
Depending on how much room you have Id opt for the 25watt if it will fit, if not the 15watt will be adequate. You can improve your reflector by using a sheet of aluminum foil lining inside the bulb area with the shiny side facing the bulb. It works better than those stock relfectors sold in these small aquarium kits for sure. Also improving the nutrient content of your substrate really makes a difference. A small box of laterite is often all you would need to make a difference. As well as some ferts if you arnt already using some.

[BirdOfPray]

Thanks for the help, both of y'all! For some reason my brain just doesn't wrap around the more complicated mathy type stuff, and lighting definitely falls into that category, especially once you start comparing different types of lighting and realize that "watts per gallon" doesn't really mean as much as you think it does.

Jenn, the tank is by Eclipse, so yes, hex with filter and light built into the top. I did line the reflector with aluminium foil when I first set it up and that definitely made a difference. The label in the hood says "use only tubular lamp rated 15 watts maximum." So would I be correct in assuming that I can't actually use the one you linked? I'd prefer not to burn the house down or blow anything up. ;) If I were able to use it, would the 15-watt bulb you linked actually give me more light than the 15-watt bulb I'm using (the standard tubular)?

Depending on what kind of deals I can find, I might eventually switch out the hex for a standard-shaped 5-gallon that would give me a little more flexibility in terms of lighting. I'm still trying to decide how dedicated I am or if I just want to leave it be because the betta sure isn't complaining.

I did get a small bag of flourite a while back -- my LFS guy was actually able to find an open bag and sell it to me by the ounce instead of the whole huge bag, which was awesome. So that's the substrate, covered by a layer of extremely fine gravel. Haven't gotten as far as ferts yet, and I'm not tech savvy enough to have tried CO2 either. But since the plants in the back of the tank died off and the ones in the front more directly under the light didn't, that's the angle I'm guessing at right now.

[rhonin]

The link MCHRKiller gave is a great bulk replacement and they last significantly longer.

Have two hex (shrimp and soon to be shrimp) and have this bulb (or a very similiar one) in each.

You can also get them with a color to hilight or enhance the view in your tank.

Enjoy!! :22:

[BirdOfPray]

Have two hex (shrimp and soon to be shrimp) and have this bulb (or a very similiar one) in each.

So just to clarify -- your tanks are also the Eclipse hex? So those bulbs would work in mine in spite of what it says on the hood ("tubular" bulbs)? Sorry, compulsive rule-follower... it makes me nervous disobeying labels. (blush)

[little hawaii]

I was browsing around today and ran across this at Drs. Foster & Smith: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

That got me curious, but a little Googling on my own hasn't really given me a better picture of how well LEDs work for aquarium lighting; particularly if plants are involved. Y'all around here are way smarter than I am when it comes to understanding this lighting stuff (I should have failed physics in high school...) so I thought I'd ask if anyone know what the deal is. I'm just wondering whether LED lighting works nicely for plants, and if so, how can you tell how much you need. This one did seem to say anything about how it would compare to a more standard light fixture.

Just doing some thinking about my 5-gallon, since the built-in lighting doesn't seem to be doing a lot of good. I've got a few plants going in there but nothing really thriving. I don't know if it's a lighting issue or something else, but was curious as to what my lighting options might be and thus the browsing. Don't worry, I'm not buying anything yet -- just thinking. The main thing that got e curious here was the fact that it clips onto the side, since the 5-gallon is a hex.


For that small tank maybe, they are not very intense and cost a fortune. I just bought a set of 3 - 12 lights and I will not buy again. I'll stick to the good old fourescents with grow lux bulds. They always work and tanks look great too.:l19: :goldfish: :fish: